Certain electrical components, such as memory cards and the like, that are occasionally disconnected from their host equipment and then reconnected at a later time, require a portable source of power to maintain the data contained in their memory. Such a power source is typically a battery that is either secured within the case of the component or, more conveniently, is arranged in a removable battery holder so that the battery can easily be replaced when desired. An electrical component having such a removable battery holder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,966 which issued Jun. 27, 1989 to Omori et al. The battery holder disclosed in the '966 patent is arranged to fit into an opening in a front edge of the component and has a pair of integrally formed arms resiliently attached to each side thereof that are biased outwardly. Each arm has a projection extending outwardly that engages a depression in a wall of the opening for latching the holder within the opening. When removing and reinserting the battery holder, the arms are deflected into clearance cutouts adjacent each arm. Since the two arms and their clearance cutouts require substantial space, the battery is required to be well into the opening and away from the front edge of the component so that the battery holder penetrates relatively deep into the component. In certain components where space is at a premium, it is desirable to make the battery holder as small as possible. U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,580 which issued Aug. 13, 1991 to Mori et al. discloses an electrical appliance having a battery holder that is relatively small, with respect to the battery. The small size of the battery holder is achieved in part by using a sliding latch member that engages a notch in the side of the holder near the front edge of the appliance. While the desired smaller size of the battery holder is provided, it is at the cost of having a sliding latch, which is an additional part that must be manufactured and assembled.
What is needed is an electrical component having a removable battery holder that is of relatively small size and that has a latching mechanism that is integrally formed in the holder and the component housing.